Update your emergency go bag, a backpack that contains the necessities for getting to safety in the event of a fire or other calamity, such as a hurricane, tsunami, flood, wildfire, earthquake, or other severe weather. Get your portable go bag, which should be light enough for you to carry if you are instructed to evacuate, in case you need to walk or take public transit.
Contrary to popular belief, if you are staying at a shelter, another residence, or a place of lodging, you do not have to carry gallons of water or days’ worth of food.
Food, water, first aid supplies, and toilet paper are probably available at shelters, but your life-saving medications, driver’s license, or other form of identity, as well as extra keys to your home and vehicle, are not.
In what locations are wildfires occurring? Use our live wildfire tracker map to stay informed.
Here are five things you can do now to prepare for the wildfire season in Oregon.
In an emergency, the time you spend preparing now will get you on your way safely. People who are hurried or in a panic could pack too much or overlook an essential item, such as respirator masks that protect against smoke from wildfires. Disaster specialists claim that everything is interchangeable, with the exception of people and animals.
The Milwaukee Health Department advises replacing medications that are about to expire and checking your emergency pack every six months. Redfora.com offers a 3.8-pound Ready 2 Go Bag (on sale for $39.99), a small sling bag that holds necessary supplies and room for personal belongings, if you don’t already have a strong, lightweight bag.
Here are some tips to help you and your family deal with this.
The Ready 2 Go Bag, a small sling bag that holds necessary tools, supplies, food, and drink, is available on Redfora.com for $39.99.The Redfora
Before disaster strikes
According to Oregon’s Ready Set Go, being aware of when to leave, what to bring, where to go, and how to get there will help prevent you and your family from becoming trapped in smoke, fire, or traffic when evacuating during a wildfire.
Experts in emergency preparedness advise taking at least three steps right away to increase your family’s safety both during and after a disaster:
-
Sign up to be informed
of an oncoming hazard. Contact your county government to ask which alert is the best such as
clackamas.us/dm/publicalerts.
-
Have an escape plan: Make sure everyone in your household knows how to safely exit dwellings (do you need afire escape ladder?
), where you will all reunite and how you will contact each other in case power lines or phone signals aren t working. Also plan how you will
care for your pets
in an emergency.
-
Have adurable emergency go bag
ready with essentials including four food bars, 4.25-ounce water pouches, a flashlight (smoke darkens daylight), folded
flame-suppression blanket
and small first-aid kit with bandages, hand sanitizer, gloves, ointment, pain reliever [ibuprofen] and ice packs.
-
Set a pair of hard-sole shoes or leather boots near the go bag to put on before leaving. A pair of long pants, long-sleeve shirt or jacket and socks in a low-flammable natural fabric like cotton or wool are best to wear. But don t delay finding items in an emergency situation. Read aboutmajor brands fire resistant clothing here
.
-
In advance of any disaster, uploading important documents to adigital folder
skips the need to pack paper copies of documents that can be misplaced.
-
Scan and store personal photos
and receipts of big-ticket home improvement work. A
photo inventory of your home
taken now can save you hundreds of painful hours trying to pull together information for an insurance claim after a disaster.
Print off or save links to resources like these:
-
A list of phone numbers of physicians, family and friends.
-
Paper copies of your prescriptions.
-
RxOpen.org
provides information on the operating status of healthcare facilities in areas impacted by a disaster.
-
You canmonitor fires burning in Oregon
with the wildfire tracker at
projects.oregonlive.com/wildfires/map
.
Go bag essentials
When you are ordered to evacuate, it is difficult to think rationally. This makes it vital to assemble a small, waterproof, long-lasting travel backpack that is packed with hard-to-replace necessities, such as medications, extra glasses or a hearing aid, and a portable phone charger that you can quickly grab on your way out the door.
Pack only the necessities to keep your baggage as light as possible:
-
Protective:Respirator masks
or
smoke masks
to help filter fire particulates as well as
protective goggles
that
cover prescription glasses
),
disinfecting wipes
and
travel-size toiletries
.
-
Extra cash (coins for vending machines), batteries, hearing aid,eyeglasses
or
contact lenses and solution
and medicines. Ask your doctor, health insurance provider or pharmacist for an emergency supply of prescription and nonprescription medications.
-
Food and drink: If you think stores will be closed, packdurable pouches of water
and non-salty,
nonperishable packets of food
that are nutrient-dense and what you like to eat, such as
protein bars
,
instant oatmeal
,
nuts and seeds
.
-
First-aid kit: TheAmerican Red Cross Deluxe Family First Aid Kit
($69.99) is lightweight yet packed with 100 essential supplies to treat injuries, from
aspirin
and
triple antibiotic ointment
. Add a pocket-size
American Red Cross Emergency First Aid Guide
or download the free
Red Cross emergency app
. See other
first-aid kits
.
-
Simple backup light, radio and charger
: If there s no place to plug in a device, you ll appreciate the
American Red Cross Clipray
crank-powered, flashlight and phone charger. Cranking for one minute produces power for 10 minutes of light. See other
hand-crank chargers
.
-
Amultitool
can provide, at your fingertips, pliers, wire cutters, screwdriver, knives, metal or wood file, bottle opener and slotted screwdriver.
-
Travel-size packs of personal hygiene items.
-
Items for family members with special needs.
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Essential items for pet care: water, food, updated medical records (vaccinations such as Rabies), leashes, crates and carriers.
Other tips
-
Keep your car s gas tank at least half full in case you have to quickly evacuate. Gas stations may be closed during emergencies and unable to pump gas during power outages, saysReady.gov
. Take one car per family to reduce congestion on roads.
-
Keep a whistle
in each bedroom to wake up family members in the night if there s a fire or other emergency.
-
Know how tolocate and shut off the gas
.
-
Consider purchasing asmart water shut-off valve
, which will automatically stop your water supply if a pipe bursts.
-
Better yet, consider investing in smart home technology for real-time updates on everything from water leaks to abnormally humid conditions in your home. Insurance companies often offer discounts whensmart home devices
are installed.
-
Test yoursmoke detectors
and other safety equipment frequently.
Eastman, Janet | 503-294-4072
@janeteastman|@[email protected]
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Additional advice on preventing wildfires:
Top-rated HEPA-filtering air purifiers that you can purchase online or pick up locally to enhance the quality of the air within your house
The most recent information about wildfires and the risks posed by smoke in Portland and surrounding areas of Oregon
What to know about denim, wool, and other clothing options that are flame-retardant
What you should know about insurance and house inventory following a fire or other calamity
How to assess fire safety or prepare your existing property for wildfire danger when purchasing a home in Oregon
